Home > MSNBC Campaign Documentary to Be Hosted by Objective, Balanced...Chris Matthews?

MSNBC Campaign Documentary to Be Hosted by Objective, Balanced...Chris Matthews?

By

Scott Whitlock

August 10, 2012 - 4:50pm

MSNBC will be producing campaign documentaries on Barack Obama and Mitt
Romney. Romney's special will be hosted by Republican skeptic Chuck
Todd. Obama's doc will be in the hands of liberal anchor Chris Matthews.
Even the titles are biased. According to TV Newser[1], Romney's program is titled, "Mitt Romney: The Making of a Candidate." Obama's? "Barack Obama: Making History."

Can anyone spot the difference? A press release promises that the
documentaries will take "audiences undercover to investigate in-depth
some of the most important stories of our time. " While Todd has been
tough on Romney, Matthews famously told the world[2] that Obama caused a "thrill going up my leg."

More recently, on July 17, 2012,[3] Matthews deemed the President flawless: "He’s the perfect father, the perfect husband, the perfect American."

So, while Obama's host thinks he's perfect, Romney must deal with a journalist who's attacked him. On June 12, 2012[4], Todd warned viewers, "if he wins in November, Romney could very well be the least transparent president in a generation."

On April 13, 2012[5],
after Obama supporter Hilary Rosen attacked Ann Romney for being a
stay-at-home mom, Todd jumped to the defense of the President,
dismissing the "manufactured" controversy eight times in one segment.

Matthews' last MSNBC documentary was a slobbering program on Bill Clinton entitled "President of the World[6]."

Romney's doc airs August 24th. The President's will premiere on September 3.

To review: Obama's documentary will be hosted by a fawning, liberal
sycophant. Romney's special will be hosted by a journalist skeptical of
the Republican. That, in a nutshell, is MSNBC's idea of balance.

The press release info on both shows:

“Mitt Romney: The Making of a Candidate,” produced by MSNBC’s Long
Form team, follows the former Massachusetts governor through the trials
and tribulations of a prolonged 2012 Presidential primary season as he
eventually emerges as the soon-to-be Republican nominee for President of
the United States. The one-hour special features an exclusive
one-on-one interview with the candidate while on the campaign trail,
conducted by “Daily Rundown” host and veteran campaign reporter Chuck
Todd. The documentary examines Romney’s coming of age; the role of the
Mormon religion in his life; his rise as a successful businessman and
politician as well as his relationships with his family and staff. Key
people interviewed for the hour were drawn from all phases of Romney’s
life – a high school classmate, Sidney Barthwell; a close campaign
advisor from his 1994 run against Ted Kennedy, Rick Reed; a Bain
partner, Geoffrey Rehnert; Governors Tom Kean (R-NJ) and Bill Weld
(R-Mass.) and Romney advisors Sen. Jim Talent (R-Mo.) and Dan Senor.

“Barack Obama: Making History,” produced by Peacock Productions and
hosted by Chris Matthews, features high-profile interviews that are a
signature of Matthews’ smart reporting. The one-hour documentary places
President Obama’s election and presidency into a thoughtful historical
perspective, examining his rise to the highest office in the land and
highlighting what President Obama has accomplished during his first term
and what he has yet to accomplish going forward. “Hardball” host Chris
Matthews interviewed key players in the Obama story including Vice
President Joe Biden, Obama Campaign Advisor David Axelrod and Caroline
Kennedy, among others.

-- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here[7] to follow him on Twitter.

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